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Online retailer Amazon UK Services Ltd has been fined £65,000 for breaching dangerous goods regulations.
At Southwark Crown Court today, Friday 23 September, the company was sentenced for four counts 'of causing dangerous goods to be delivered for carriage in an aircraft', offences under the Air Navigation (Dangerous Goods) Regulations 2002.

The four offences, covered a period from January 2014 to June 2015, and related to shipments destined for flights within and out of the UK. Dangerous goods found in Amazon UK Services Ltd shipments included lithium ion batteries and flammable aerosols. All the items were found and detained by Royal Mail and UPS screening staff, ahead of their intended departure.

The company was also ordered to pay CAA costs of £60,000.

Following sentencing, Kate Staples, the CAA's General Counsel, said:

“Amazon UK Services Ltd has been ordered to pay a fine for breaching the dangerous goods regulations.

“Around the world, retailers and online traders must comply with international restrictions, which prohibit the shipping of dangerous goods on passenger aircraft, which pose a flight safety risk.

“Whenever issues are identified the CAA works with companies to make sure those issues are addressed, however if improvements are not made, we will not hesitate to enforce the law in order to protect the travelling public.

“The safety of aviation and the public is paramount and we will continue to work closely with retailers and online traders to ensure they understand the regulations and have robust processes in place so their items can be shipped safely.”

Note to Editors

The Air Navigation (Dangerous Goods) Regulations 2002, as amended, require that dangerous goods be carried by air in accordance with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Technical Instructions for the Safe Transport of Dangerous Goods by Air ('the Technical Instructions'). These included detailed requirements on sending dangerous goods by air, including how they must be classified, packed, marked, labelled and documented as well as on the dangerous goods training which must be completed by the persons sending them.

Lithium ion batteries and Lithium metal batteries
All lithium ion cells and batteries shipped by themselves are forbidden from being consigned in the mail to both UK and international destinations, regardless of the mode of transport likely to be used. Lithium cells and batteries may be shipped on their own as air cargo but carriage is forbidden on-board passenger aircraft. All packages prepared for air transport, must therefore bear a Cargo Aircraft Only label, in addition to hazard communication labelling.